The CloudCatcher WitchCamp Blog

Tag Archives: Faerie Gate

Today was bitter-sweet as it was the last session of the Labyrinth Path- WitchCamp is drawing to a close. At the second night ritual we had drunk a sweet potion, filled with beautiful herbs, which had not been finished. We each took a small amount of it this morning, and poured it out onto the land as an offering of gratitude to the Fae and all spirits of place, before dismantling and closing the Faery Gate.

We removed the threshold first, with love and care, before slowly unravelling the adornments, and dismantling the structural pieces. Many of us kept the pieces of ribbon and twine that had been used for the gate for our ongoing work with our allies. We then changed the path of the labyrinth back to its’ original form- the 7 Path, Minoan Labyrinth.

“We journey the labyrinth in meditative silence. In this silence we listen to the voice of our soul, the voice of the land.” (Path Intent)

We had the opportunity to walk through the labyrinth individually a last time; I felt slightly melancholy, not wanting to give up this beautiful creation that offered so much, but encouraged by these feelings to work with the power of Labyrinths more often in my practice. I stopped in the centre of the labyrinth and had a moment with the altar, reflecting on the past for days, and feeling thankful. As I walked the path back out again, I looked to the future- bubbling with excitement for the creation of the next labyrinth, whenever that may be, and for my ongoing relationship with the Fae.

“We journey the labyrinth in community. Together we forge the path of conscious truth. Together we weave our magic.” (Day 4 Intent)

We then held hands and walked the labyrinth as a whole group, eyes open- seeing each other, in meditative silence; Listening to the voices of our souls and the soul of the land.

“We dance the labyrinth and the lands with Fae allies at our side, opening new paths, crossing edges that might have been closed before, and closing the doors that no longer serve us”(Day 3 Intent)

Today we had the opportunity to ‘Aspect’ our Fae ally and to be a ‘Tender’ to one of our peers when they did the same. Thibaut lead a detailed discussion on Aspecting and Tending before we began, and after ensuring that we had properly prepared ourselves, we paired off so each person could take a turns in either role.

Prior to Aspecting today, our group had altered the labyrinth path slightly so that we could walk through the ‘human’ gate, and out the Faery gate, into the lands of the Fae. The time spent walking through the labyrinth would be the time in which we were inviting our being to walk with us, in us, or around us.

I took on the role of tender first- My partner communicated to me that they would probably not need much assistance or guidance during their Aspecting; requesting for me just to witness, and carry their water bottle. They also suggested some personal topics to ask them questions about when grounding afterwards.

I hear a call, it comes from far away; I don’t know where it leads, behind the gates of night and day.. (chant)

Last night I had spoken to the ally I’d met first- a darker, more feminine being- and had planned to aspect them in my body, from my ribcage upwards. I was also to bring a red tie-on bracelet that I would put on during my time Aspecting, as a promise, sign, and reminder of the relationship I have and will continue, with both of the allies I spent time with in yesterday’s trance. I didn’t have a red bracelet at camp, so I had to create one this morning before path.

I readied the simple things that help me feel grounded daily, and the things I know have helped after previous experiences Aspecting. I let my tender know where I had my food, cigarettes, my beanie hat, and a water bottle- as well as my intentions for the ritual. When I began to walk the labyrinth, however, I could feel not just one, but both of my allies wanting to be with me. I decided I was okay with this, but renegotiated that my boundary would be that I would only aspect from my shoulders up (no arms).

My senses felt a lot sharper whilst Aspecting, but my eyesight seemed to slightly blur around the edges- like sharp, bright, tunnel vision. My Self felt somewhat disconnected, and the conversations I had with the two beings whirled around my head. I only Aspected for a short time- I know that for me personally, this practice takes quite a toll on my mind and body. I tied my bracelet onto my wrist, we had some laughs and giggles, and I gained some (more!) insights- particularly around things I can do to feel the Fae’s presence, and reminders of the things that kept me joyful in my formative years.

After ‘devoking’ them, I employed my grounding techniques with the support of my Tender, including things like using my name, patting down my body to feel my ‘edges’, and hugging. We then had the opportunity to get into small groups and discuss our experiences in both roles. I find it to be an honour to be a Tender to someone- feels quite intimate to be witnessing someone’s personal experience with a being that is not in this realm. Aspecting is a tool that I find extremely useful, but is also something that wears me out very easily, so I always try my best to keep my time purposeful with intent, so that the experience is fruitful and positive.

Together, we took the individual threads of our lived experience and wove a ritual intention to live fully in the present experience. The need to be present and live embodied in each moment seemed to be our affinity. For me, that need to be present and enjoy the life that I’m living is tangible. All too often, I am pulled out of my body to a future time event. During my travels through time, I follow this event up the cosmic tree of time. When a possible decision appears along this path of events, the limb splits into multiple branches. And so, I travel down each possible trajectory. Each time a divergent path appears due to another possible choice or shift in events, I travel that too. The limbs split into branches, the branches split into sticks, the sticks split into twigs, and so on and so on. My steps become recursive. I walk forwards and backwards retracing my steps, replaying decisions, and investigating possible scenarios. I become driven to plan, arrange, and manipulate every possible path. Meanwhile, I am cut off from my body and denying myself from actually participating in the moment.

This fraught time tracing is not a practice of responsibly planning towards successful completion of my goals. Rather, this type of time tracing is fear driven attempt to minimize unpredictable events. The fear is that I may not be equipped to succeed through the unknown. And going into this affinity ritual, I knew this of myself. The Fey knew this of me too. They Fey relished confronting my time tracing habit because they adore enriching human life with fecund unpredictability. I could hear them giggling and guffawing as we ritually journeyed closer to the gate of Faerie. The kookaburra, deep in his maniacal laughter, sat upon the Faery Queens shoulder as she watched us journey deeper into their realm. I could feel the other Fey-like spirits there on the boundaries of the spirit worlds. They were not the European Fey but rather felt as if their identities were indigenous to this land. The lenses of my lived experiences opened my perception to a wide variety of Fey-like spirits that resemble nothing of the Faerie commonly described from a Eurocentric lens. And I felt so deeply grateful for the gift of perceiving these earliest spirits.

Our bodies stood skyclad around the ancient rock face that protruded up through the wet grasses. This flat squared off stone was a portal through the realms. The worlds shifted about us and we came to the place where the land of the ancestors and the land of the fey meet each other. The spirits of the dead promenaded there with quiet interest. The Fey, curious as they could be, were peppered amongst them. The river between these two lands that flowed just below the smooth lichen painted stone at my feet.

I strode into the center of my affinity group. My mouth muttered the incantations while my hands traced the familiar symbols to open a faerie well in the stone slate before me. This well was fed by the river of life that flowed through the lands of the Fey, the lands of the ancestors, and into the mortal world. I bathed myself in its waters. I drank those waters deep. I took those waters into my souls. As the waters flowed through me, the etheric wings on my back strengthened. These wings beat forward, stronger, so as to push me back into the present. Their purpose is to keep me from being pulled out of my body and out of my current lived experience.

Amidst us witches stepping into the center to receive our medicine, so too did the Fey, the spirits of the land, and the disincarnate ancestors. Our toning sealed the spells and healings of our ritual. As we released the magic of our circle, the clouds descended from the peaks of mountains and wound about camp. The rains, fiercely poured down over camp that evening as the spirits of the land and the Fey also drank in their waters of life, the waters that keep us embod